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THE STEADY STATE AND TRANSIENT HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS OF A MOTORCYCLE

A non-linear, four degree of freedom digital simulation of a motorcycle is described. The equations of motion have freedom in the lateral, roll, yaw and steering modes, and the system comprises four rigid bodies: the main frame plus the rider, the steering mass plus the front wheel mass, a rotating front wheel, and a rotating rear wheel and engine. Also included in the equations is a complete geometrical analysis of the steering system and lateral tire force characteristics for camber angles of up to 40 degrees. The tire characteristics were obtained from experimental measurements on the School of Automotive Studies tire rig. Other necessary vehicle parameters were also determined by experiment. The steady state cornering characteristics of a specific motorcycle, as predicted by the simulation, are then discussed and compared with results obtained from an instrumented motorcycle. The addition of a steering controller to the model allowed the model allowed the transient behavior to be studied, and this behavior is also discussed and compared with experimental results. Finally, a seven degree of freedom, non-linear model is described which has body pitch, body bounce, and variable forward speed added to the four degrees of freedom of the simpler model. Results obtained from the two models are compared. /Author/

Supplemental Notes:

Proceedings of the 2nd International Congress on Automotive Safety, July 16-18, 1973.